ARCHIVES: Toxin levels high in James and Elizabeth Rivers

The amount of toxic chemicals called PCBs in the James and Elizabeth river watersheds far exceed standards designed to protect fish and other wildlife, the state Department of Environmental Quality said Thursday.

The most alarming samples were collected in James River tributaries near Hopewell, where PCB levels reached 233,000 parts per quadrillion. The standard is 640 ppq, said DEQ spokesman Bill Hayden.

Tests also found high PCB levels - up to 187,000 ppq - in the eastern and southern branches of the Elizabeth River. The western branch, as well asthe Elizabeth and James river main channels, are near the water quality standard, Hayden said.DEQ did not test PCB levels in the James near Newport News because it believes the chemical is less of a problem downstream.

"We would expect it to be more diluted as you move down the river," Hayden said.

Human exposure to PCBs is largely limited to skin conditions, such as a rash, but the chemical can be deadly to fish, birds and other marine life. Areas tested by DEQ have long been under fish advisories.

"This really isn't a cause for alarm," Hayden said. "It's a look at the rivers and what's causing fish contamination."

The agency chose the James and Elizabeth rivers, as well as the Roanoke River, because of the heavy industrial presence along their shorelines.

Polychlorinated biphenyls - PCBs - are chemicals once used as fire retardants or insulators in petroleum products, such as transformer oil. Banned from production by Congress in the 1970s, they were once commonplace at industrial and manufacturing facilities.

"PCBs are a legacy of long-term industrial activity," Hayden said.

The state, long aware of the problem, didn't have the resources until this year to begin exploring where PCBs come from and how to keep them from reaching Virginia's waterways, Hayden said. Previously, the DEQ focused on reducing bacteria and harmful nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, he said.

Hayden did not know how much money the state has directed toward studying PCBs so far, or how much the agency will spend in the future.

DEQ will continue to work to pinpoint PCB sources. It will be at least a year, if not more, before a draft report of the agency's findings is released, Hayden said.